Throughout the world, many communities have overlooked seemingly trivial improvements which are, in actuality, crucial to many. Many disabled individuals are not given what they need to lead a life that is similar to those around them. One of the biggest obstacles that these people face daily is going up a curb.
In the lives of the disabled, a problem such as going up a curb can snowball into much larger tribulations. If people cannot ascend and descend curbs, they cannot continue with their daily lives—routines are interrupted and great inconvenience is caused. Without going through the day-to-day actions necessary in life, a person will not be pleased with his or her position. Many lawsuits have occurred over problems such as this one. People in wheelchairs do not feel as if they are being treated as equals, and will not stand for any type of inequality. In certain communities, curb cutouts do not exist. In other communities, curb cutouts are neglected by being piled with snow in the winter, and strewn with garbage in the summer.
A curb, to a regular wheelchair traveler, is a concrete wall impossible to scale without the help of a curb cutout. In countless neighborhoods, curbs are just that: insurmountable.
Although existing gyroscope-based wheelchairs climb curbs and stairs, they are too complex and expensive. The iBOT, for example, has a base price of $26,100 (Independence Technology). Some portable ramps can be positioned onto curbs, but these require an assistant, making the wheelchair occupant dependent on others. U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,613 describes a portable ramp that can be situated over stairs and curbs. It is comprised of slats held together by straps, enabling each plank to unfold. This forms a ramp storable when its ends retract inward. Due to their design, the rotational slats can accept excessive weight, while two lightweight braces contribute to the resistance of the ramp's center. Needless to say, the ramp is not attached to a wheelchair.
Although there are various wheelchairs and ramp systems on the current market today, the consumers of these products continue to remain dependent on others; whether it requires one to place the ramp in front of an area of incline, to push someone up a curb, or to provide any further assistance, the independence of disabled individuals remains limited. It is not the question of reinventing the ramp, but enhancing the lives of disabled individuals so that their lifestyles do not limit their opportunities.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,982 proposes a ramp separate from the wheelchair. Although the appeal of this ramp is its price and easy storage compared to conventional ramps, it runs on a complex gear system. The wheelchair clicks in to roller guides, and, through an elaborate process, eventually goes up. In this scenario, a wheelchair occupant can use the ramp independently, or with the help of another person. Although the ramp is not attached to the wheelchair, the gear system compensates for height variations in different locations. This design's principal flaw is that it is not portable, but locked into a surface. Although the appeal of this ramp is its price value in contrast to conventional ramps as well as its compactness, it has a complex gear system. The geared system comprises drive gears and roller guides on the wheelchair that line up along guide tracks; ratchet devices along with the rotation of the drive wheels are used to begin the alignment of the gears on the guide tracks. For this scenario, a wheelchair occupant is still dependent on a second person, who manually moves the track and the wheelchair upwards. Although the ramp is not fixed to the wheelchair, the gear system compensates for variances in heights of different surfaces. Ultimately, an assistant pushes the wheelchair up the ramp until the occupant can use the wheelchair independently on a level plane.
There are no studies that indicate the number of communities violating the American Disabilities Act by disregarding curb cutouts. There are, however, numerous lawsuits around the country that result from different factors. For example, some municipalities cannot afford to redo all sidewalks. In The Journal News, the village manager of Mamaroneck, N.Y., states that the cost of replacing a fifty-foot sidewalk is roughly $1,500. He indicates that even though there is money to fund the curb cutouts, they are in competition with many other government-mandated projects.
According to the reports of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (Lesson 17), and results gathered by The Veterans Administration, a handicapped individual is forced to put forth thirty percent more effort when traveling a given distance on a path than a normal individual who walks the same distance. If, we can reduce that strain by eliminating the curb as a towering obstacle, then we can improve the daily lives of fellow humans.
Ever since the modern wheelchair was invented in 1932 by Harry Jennings, people have been trying to perfect it. Some inventions, including those mentioned above, are geared to solving the dilemma of getting a wheelchair up a curb. But none solve this dilemma in a manner that is economic and usable by the wheelchair operator without assistance from another person.